The old man wore a loose martial arts uniform that fluttered around him. Most of the hair on his head had been shaved off, leaving only a long braid tied at the back. His beard and mustache were completely white, and he looked like a man of great authority.
He walked toward the dashing Gelman and the naked Hisoka, smiling with his hands clasped behind his back.
Beanpaste Man followed nervously behind the old man. His white-gloved hands kept rubbing together, as if he were playing with a Rubik's Cube.
"I heard from Izunabi and Ian that there were two 'interesting and dangerous rookies' this year, so I came to take a look for myself. And I was right. Hogari and more than twenty examinees are down, while the rest have been scared off. This is your 'handiwork.'"
Hisoka casually snatched the clothes from a badly injured examinee at his feet and threw them on. Smiling curiously, he asked, "Who are you?"
He was still smiling, and he could see that the old man was full of openings, but he was even more wary. It was an instinctive premonition of danger, and he had already guessed who the man was.
The old man replied, "I'm Netero, the current chairman of the Hunter Association."
So it really was Netero.
The same thought flashed through Gelman and Hisoka's minds.
"You made a wise choice by stopping." Netero glanced at Hisoka, then at Gelman. "Even so, I can't just turn a blind eye to the commotion you've caused."
Gelman had no intention of taking the blame for this.
He cut in, "Hisoka caused this commotion. Please don't lump me together with him."
"That really hurts my feelings. I thought we were 'partners'..." Hisoka said with a smile.
"I only said you caused a commotion. I didn't say you were responsible for it." Netero clarified, then turned to Hisoka. "You attacked Hogari and badly injured so many examinees, so you're disqualified from this year's exam."
Hisoka had expected this. He shrugged. "I don't mind. I've already achieved one of my goals. As for the Hunter License, I can come back for it next year."
For someone like Hisoka, who had already learned a Nen ability, getting a Hunter License really was easy—so easy that he had to find ways to amuse himself along the way, or he'd be bored out of his mind.
The Hunter Association wouldn't bar Hisoka from taking next year's exam, either.
Gelman understood how Hisoka felt. In the Hunter Exam, they were like two elite players going back to the tutorial village to compete against beginners. There was no comparison.
"Looks like you accept my decision." Netero smiled at Hisoka.
"Of course." Hisoka suddenly lowered his voice and let his intimidating aura fade. "I don't want to fight you right now. It's too soon. Much too soon."
His words weren't an expression of humility, but of arrogance. What he really meant was that given enough time, he would surpass the old man in front of him.
Hisoka had always believed he was the strongest.
"Confidence is a good thing for the young," Netero said with a smile.
Hisoka chuckled and didn't linger to make a nuisance of himself.
He headed toward the wooded slopes. As he passed Gelman, he quietly said, "Chrollo is still my first choice for now, but I'm finding it hard to let go of you, too. You're just so interesting. You've evolved this much in a little over a month... I'm looking forward to our next meeting."
Hisoka winked at Gelman with his right eye, then walked away.
Netero, Beanpaste Man, and the nearby Hunters made no attempt to stop him. They let him leave.
"Beanpaste Man." Netero stroked his white beard. "Get the others over here. Have them take Hogari and the badly injured examinees to the hospital, then find the examinees who ran off."
Now that Hisoka had left, Beanpaste Man felt much more at ease.
He quickly acknowledged the order, wiped the sweat from his bean-shaped face with the back of his hand, and hurried off on his short legs to pass along the chairman's instructions.
"He's still far too nervous..." Netero said with a teasing smile after Beanpaste Man had gone. "But I always find his reactions amusing."
Gelman couldn't see what was so amusing about it, so he said nothing.
"Little Biscuit was right. You really are a man of few words..." Netero's sharp eyes, far too keen for a man of his age, narrowed. "And yet you always act in unexpected ways, which doesn't fit your cold exterior."
Netero was the founder of the Mind Source Style and Biscuit's teacher. He was already over a hundred and ten years old, so calling the over-fifty Biscuit "Little Biscuit" was perfectly reasonable.
Biscuit had sent her disciple Wing to bring someone to take the Hunter Exam. Naturally, Netero had asked questions and learned quite a bit about Gelman.
"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Gelman wasn't interested in the Hunter Association chairman or the founder of the Mind Source Style. He had only one target in his sights. "If you're done, let's get the next exam started."
Netero chuckled for a moment, then stroked his beard. "The Hunter Exam is indeed easy for you... but you won't need to take the next stage."
Won't need to take it?
Gelman looked up in surprise. "I haven't broken any rules, have I?"
"Of course not." Netero explained unhurriedly, "I mean that this year's Hunter Exam is over. There's no need for any further stages."
"Look, of the fifty-two examinees left, one was expelled for attacking an examiner, more than twenty are badly injured, and more than twenty have fled in a panic. You're the only one still here."
"I believe we've already found the sole passer of the 286th Hunter Exam. I'm sure none of the examinees would object to my judgment."
Gelman was a little surprised, but quickly put the matter out of his mind.
He wasn't interested in these trivialities. He held out his hand to Netero.
"Then give me my Hunter License."
Netero chuckled again. "Don't rush. It'll take time to make a Hunter License just for you. Have the wound on your left arm bandaged first, then take the airship to a nearby Hunter Association branch and get some rest."
Just then, Beanpaste Man returned with a group of Hunters.
They quickly carried the badly injured examinees away on stretchers and took them to a nearby hospital.
Two female Hunters also came over to help treat Gelman's injuries.
Soon, once the large group of examinees had been taken away, a wide-open area appeared in front of the Mansion of Mechanisms and Traps, just big enough for the airship to land.
A quarter of an hour later, Gelman followed Netero and Beanpaste Man aboard an airship bearing the Hunter Association insignia. With a loud whir, it flew toward the horizon.
"Mr. Gelman, this is your room." Beanpaste Man stood in front of the door, curiously looking the sole passer of the exam up and down as he handed over the key.
Gelman took it. "Thank you."
Beanpaste Man looked surprised, then quickly replied, "You're welcome, you're welcome."
Gelman stepped into the room, puzzled, and locked the door behind him. As he headed for the bathroom, he wondered, Do I really look like the sort of person who never thanks anyone?
Before you continue